💩 Where that water is dirtiest

Also: Here are the new House speaker candidates; Tom Andrew's "third act" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 23, 2023 ⛅ Partly cloudy, with a high near 61. Good Morning Boston, Let’s talk about poop — and climate change. You may not usually associate the two with each other. But together, they're causing a bit of a stink in Massachusetts, [as WBUR’s Miriam Wasser explains in this new story]( about so-called combined sewer overflows, or CSOs. Let’s get into it. - That dirty water: Most sewer systems keep wastewater (what goes down the toilet or sink) and stormwater runoff (what goes down storm drain) separate. However, older systems used to send the two down the same combined pipes, which is mostly fine — except when it rains hard. When that happens (and it happened a lot this summer), the pipes get overwhelmed and overflow into rivers or other waterways through a CSO outlet. That’s better than sewage backing up into homes, but it’s not great (unless you like E.coli and other viruses). As rain storms become [more intense thanks to climate change]( these sewage overflows are likely to happen more often. - Where exactly are CSOs in Massachusetts? There are 194, mostly in old industrial cities. And many are in lower-income neighborhoods. Boston has the most (36), followed by New Bedford (26), Springfield (23), Fall River (17) and Chicopee (16). [Click here for a map]( of every CSO in the state. - How often do they overflow? Between this April and September, there were 1,943 overflows in Massachusetts — nearly triple the amount that occurred during the same period in 2022. Scroll down in Miriam's story to [see when and where each happened](. - Which ones overflow the most? Here's where Fall River residents may want to stop reading. Miriam reports that one CSO in Fall River overflowed 76 times into the Taunton River this summer — the most of any in the state. Two other Fall River CSOs located nearby also overflowed over 50 times. In Boston, a CSO by East Boston's LoPresti Park and one in Fort Point Channel were tied for the most overflows (18). [Click here]( for a more detailed list. - How to flush the problem away: [Read Miriam's full story]( to find out what officials are trying to do about CSOs and the challenges they face. - A Medway couple and their 1-year-old son remain trapped in Gaza as [violence escalates between Israel and Hamas](. Despite at least three State Department messages telling them to head to the border, Abood Okal and his wife Wafaa Abuzayda have been unable to pass through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt, WBUR's Deborah Becker [reports](. - Okal [told CNN]( the border crossing attempts are wasting the remaining fuel in their cars. They've also had close calls with Israeli missiles, despite evacuating to a safe zone in Rafah. "There was a bombing, an airstrike about 100 meters away from the house," he said. "There's constant shelling, constant airstrikes." - Meanwhile in Massachusetts: Needham resident Jason Greenberg is grieving the loss of two relatives in Israel who were kidnapped and killed by Hamas. Greenberg told WBUR's Amy Sokolow that the Israeli military found the bodies of 80-year-old Carmela Dan and 12-year-old Noya Dan at the Gaza border. He's also still waiting to hear the status of three other relatives who were kidnapped. - Don't (necessarily) blame Charlie Baker: That was Gov. Maura Healey's response when asked about her predecessor's culpability for [the recent news]( that top MBTA officials knew about widespread track defects across the Green Line Extension as it was being constructed during his administration. Healey [told WBZ]( there's no sign Baker personally knew about the problems. Instead, she placed blame on former members of MBTA management, noting "we've made a number of personnel changes over the last several months." - In his words: A spokesperson for Baker [told WCVB]( that his office was "never informed" the tracks were too narrow. P.S.— Making new friends as an adult (especially in a new place) can be hard, but we're here to make it easier. Swing by CitySpace tonight for our new "[Speed Friending]( event. There'll be free snacks, drinks and conversation prompts to get things flowing. Bring your friends or come by yourself — most people do! Get tickets [here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [From examining the dead to guiding the living, Tom Andrew embraces his 'third act']( The traditional idea of three stages of life — learning, earning and retiring — is increasingly seen as outdated. Instead, many people like Tom Andrew are living their third act, discovering that life can reset at age 50, 60, 70, or even later. [Read more.]( [From examining the dead to guiding the living, Tom Andrew embraces his 'third act']( The traditional idea of three stages of life — learning, earning and retiring — is increasingly seen as outdated. Instead, many people like Tom Andrew are living their third act, discovering that life can reset at age 50, 60, 70, or even later. [Read more.]( [House speaker race widens to 9 Republicans vying for nomination]( After Rep. Jim Jordan ended his unsuccessful bid, a new field of candidates has flooded the race. Most of them are now backing a pledge aimed at ensuring a House floor vote ends in an elected speaker. [Read more.]( [House speaker race widens to 9 Republicans vying for nomination]( After Rep. Jim Jordan ended his unsuccessful bid, a new field of candidates has flooded the race. Most of them are now backing a pledge aimed at ensuring a House floor vote ends in an elected speaker. [Read more.]( [After long, steep decline, the North Atlantic right whale population appears to stabilize]( There are about 356 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. That's a sign that the critically endangered species may be starting to stabilize. [Read more.]( [After long, steep decline, the North Atlantic right whale population appears to stabilize]( There are about 356 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. That's a sign that the critically endangered species may be starting to stabilize. [Read more.]( [2nd batch of aid crosses into Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes]( Fourteen trucks with essential supplies provided by the United Nations entered the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. It included water, food and medical equipment, but no fuel. [Read more.]( [2nd batch of aid crosses into Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes]( Fourteen trucks with essential supplies provided by the United Nations entered the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. It included water, food and medical equipment, but no fuel. [Read more.]( [Maine high schools will soon have to offer students training in administering naloxone]( Under a Maine state law passed earlier this year, the naloxone training would need to be based on standards from nationally recognized programs or agencies, and would be an "extracurricular instruction." It would also need to be taught by a qualified instructor. [Read more.]( [Maine high schools will soon have to offer students training in administering naloxone]( Under a Maine state law passed earlier this year, the naloxone training would need to be based on standards from nationally recognized programs or agencies, and would be an "extracurricular instruction." It would also need to be taught by a qualified instructor. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This week at CitySpace: If you can't make it tonight, come by Tuesday for [a conversation with historian and best-selling author Simon Schama]( about his new book on the tangled and complex history of pandemics and vaccines. And on Thursday, we're hosting [a live taping of the KCRW politics podcast “Left, Right & Center.”]( - Halloweekend is right around the corner, and if you haven't figured out a costume yet, there's no need to run to Spirit Halloween. NPR's Life Kit has [a handy guide]( help you cobble together a costume inspired by items in your own closet. - Did you catch Bonnie Garmus, author of "Lessons in Chemistry," on Saturday at WBUR's Head of the Charles tent? Even if you didn't manage to nab a signed copy of her book, you can still hear Garmus talk about her 2022 best-selling novel — and the Apple TV+ series based on the book — [in this segment]( from Here & Now. - Like many farms in New England, New Hampshire's Kimball Fruit Farm suffered from excessive rain and unpredicted frost this year. Though conditions didn't lead to the best crop, gleaners still managed to harvest 8,000 pounds of produce to donate to soup kitchens and food pantries. [Here's how they did it.](  What We're Reading 📚 - Climate Change Is Keeping Therapists Up at Night ([The New York Times Magazine]( - At the Museum of Printing, ‘We’re trying to save the past for the future’ ([The Boston Globe]( - The Crimes Behind the Seafood You Eat ([The New Yorker](  Meet the Makers [Gabriel Sosa explores language and justice in his multimedia creations]( Early in his career, the artist worked as a court translator where he witnessed how power can be exerted through words. Now, he probes that idea through murals, collages and community engagement. [Read more.]( [Gabriel Sosa explores language and justice in his multimedia creations]( Early in his career, the artist worked as a court translator where he witnessed how power can be exerted through words. Now, he probes that idea through murals, collages and community engagement. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes a look at [the race to find a cure to save Massachusetts' beech trees](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Who says it's hard to [find parking in Boston]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? 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